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Noah shakes his head. He pinches the bridge of his nose between his finger and thumb like he has a headache.
“I thought we had something, Raven.”
“We do.” My voice cracks when I say it.
Noah shakes his head. “You should have told me.”
“I don’thaveto tell you anything,” I say. “We’re not together. What would you have done if you found out I have a daughter? You wouldn’t have wanted to meet her; you wouldn’t have wanted to be involved. This is just a fling, and when I get home, none of this will matter anymore. You’ll keep living your life, and we’ll keep living ours.”
Noah looks hurt by that. “Maybe, if you gave me the chance, I would have surprised you.”
“You don’t want children, Noah. You told me so yourself.”
He looks confused for a moment and then the light goes on—he remembers our conversation at the burger joint.
“Is that what this is about? Hell, we were talking hypothetically. At least, I was. How was I supposed to know it was about you actually having a kid? Was it some kind of test to see if I would be good enough to be in your life?”
I shake my head. This is getting way out of hand.
“I’ll go,” I say.
“What? Where will you go?”
“I don’t know. I’ll figure it out.”
I turn and walk to the bedroom. Noah follows me.
“You can’t do this,” he says. “You can’t leave like this. Not after everything we have.”
“What do we have?” I ask, spinning around. “I’m just a fling to you.”
“You’re not just a fling,” Noah says. “I—” He cuts himself short.
“What?” I ask.
He doesn’t answer me.
“Yeah, I thought so,” I say and I grab my clothes and storm into the bathroom. I get dressed in record time, pull my hair back in a ponytail that I only pull through halfway so it’s a bun on my neck. I grab my things, stuff my pajamas into a side pocket and dump Noah’s hoodie on the floor.
When I storm to the door, I expect him to follow and try to stop me.
He doesn’t.
I leave, slamming the door shut behind me. It’s only when I get to the lobby that I realize I’m crying.
I scrub my cheeks and step into the freezing weather. It hits me like a wall, the icy wind driving into my collar.
I take out my phone and stare at it. I have signal; I can make a call. And I have no idea where to turn. My mom is too far away, and the last thing I need is to put all this on her when she’s finally happy. It’s the reason I never went home when I knew I was pregnant. She deserves more than all the pain she’s gone through.
Not for the first time in my adult life, I call the one person who’s been there for me through everything.
When Michelle answers, her voice is bright despite how early it is.
“I was just thinking about you,” she says. “I’m so glad you called.”
“I need your help,” I say, and my voice cracks.
“Oh, no, what happened?” she asks, concerned.
